City of Warrensburg
102 S. Holden
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Office 660-747-9131 FAX 660-747-8927
www.warrensburg-mo.com

Warrensburg Wins Missouri Municipal League Innovation Award

September 15, 2009

The Missouri Municipal League (MML) recently announced that the City of Warrensburg was the winner of the 2009 Missouri Municipal League Innovation Award for large cities (over 15,000 population).

The Innovation Award Program is intended to spotlight municipal programs that solve community problems in an effective and creative manner.  The nominated projects were judged based on how well the program met its stated objectives, the creativity of the solution and most importantly the ability of the program to be replicated for use by other municipalities.

Warrensburg’s project addressed the alcohol related problems in the City’s downtown area.  From 1998 to 2006 liquor arrests in the city of Warrensburg’s downtown district increased by 89%, from 155 annual arrests to 293.  Assault/fight/disturbance calls for the same period and area increased by 223%, from 64 to 207.  In response to the increased crime and violence, in 2007 the city of Warrensburg collaborated with the University of Central Missouri to establish the Warrensburg Area Partners in Prevention (WAPIP) Alcohol Management program.  This program brought together University of Central Missouri, city staff, local liquor license holders, state agencies and Whiteman Air Force Base leadership to collaborate in addressing the two objectives of the program: 1) reduce the number of alcohol-related crimes and 2) ensure the public’s safety and health.  The City and WAPIP utilizes five strategies of ordinance revision, training, prevention efforts, increased enforcement, and system changes.  Since implementing the city of Warrensburg and WAPIP’s alcohol management program, the city of Warrensburg’s downtown district liquor arrests have been reduced from 293 in 2006 to nine in 2008, a 97% decrease.  Assault/fight/disturbances calls have been reduced by 92% from 207 to 17.  Compared to the state alcohol compliance check rate of 61% for liquor license holders, the city of Warrensburg since April 2009 has consistently achieved 100% compliance rate of their license holders.

The City will receive their award at the Missouri Municipal League’s Annual Conference, to be held October 4-7 at Tan-Tar-A, Osage Beach, Mo.

For more information contact:

Jeff Hancock, City Manager

jhancock@warrensburg-mo.com